I went there in 1998 and the ground level floor was cool, but not mind-blowing. The owners told me they were going to have swing dancing upstairs on the second floor, and "more Tiki in the basement, Kahuna".

Then the local frat boys decided Tiki wasn't hip and forced the owners into de-Tikifing the ground level. Word spread that there was no Tiki left at PoliTiki.

Later, I got an Email from the owner stating that although the ground level and upstairs were no longer Tiki (or at all retro in any sense), the basement was a Tiki paradise.

My latest understanding is that the basement is Tiki, but (as previous posters to this thread have pointed out), the bartenders aren't.

Given the location, this place was doomed to failrue from day 1, and the fact tthat they've had their doors open going on 6 years is a miracle. Too bad they weren't in a spot more condusive to drawing a Tiki-appriciative crowd.

I stopped at the former Poli-Tiki earlier today. As someone had previously posted, the name of the place is no longer Poli-Tiki -- it is now called the Pour House. The main floor was your standard sports bar -perhaps a dozen television sets, and other sports prints on the wall. I believe they are trying to cater to the international soccer crowd, as that was what was on most of the screens.

One of the doors to the former basement tiki room was blocked off (it was late Sunday afternoon), so I asked the bartender if the tiki stuff was still down there. She said all of the tiki stuff is gone, and that room is known as the Scheisse Haus, with a German theme.

So, unless anyone has the courage to go down there and see if there are any tiki remnants left there, I would write off the Poli-Tiki for us tiki lovers.

from Washington Post:
"Also gone is the dimly lit, basement-level Politiki lounge, which featured a large Trader Vic-style tropical drink menu, rattan furniture and large carved tiki heads. The concept was nicer than the space, which was really showing its age. The basement now sports vaguely Germanic decor, including dark wooden beams and a Bavarian flag, as well as a puerile name that isn't suitable for polite German-speaking company. 'It's a joke, more of a parody," Laverty says. 'It's a real laidback floor, like a beer hall." Schuster adds: 'We wanted to get it cleaned up and make it a nicer bar.'"

Now if we can only find a way to liberate Lincoln & find a "new deal" for FDR! I've got a nice 15' high expanse of wall leading down the basement steps that FDR would look perfect on!
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